- BGG rank
- BGG #2,843
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Inca Empire
- 3–4 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2010
- BGG rank
- BGG #14,351
- BGG rating
- 6.1
Palenque
2011
Rules assistance for Palenque
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.2/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Palenque
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Palenque is a board game released in 2011 for 2–6 players, 60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Alan D. Ernstein and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Grid Movement.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,524
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Tahuantinsuyu
- 3–4 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2004
- BGG rank
- BGG #857
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Torres
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 1999
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,000
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Nevada City
- 2–4 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.4/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #838
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Mexica
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.7/5
- 2002
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,750
- BGG rating
- 6.8
City of Remnants
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,291
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Qin
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #586
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Clash of Cultures
- 2–4 players
- 180–240 min
- Complexity 3.6/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #757
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Yellow & Yangtze
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,449
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Ars Mysteriorum
- 3–5 players
- 90–120 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2005
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,595
- BGG rating
- 6.7
The Walled City: Londonderry & Borderlands
- 2–4 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 3.2/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,255
- BGG rating
- 6.2
La Strada
- 2–4 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 2004
About the game
Pacal, king of the Maya city Palenque, is trying to control all of the Yucatan's resources. As kings of other cities, his opponents have their own ideas. By using your influence to control resources in Kingdoms across the Yucatan, you can establish yourself as the greatest king of the Maya. Build Temples. Alter borders. Control resources. During the game, players represent the kings who oppose Pacal and use the ten different resource cards and spend action points to expand their empires, dominate the 14 Yucatan kingdoms through their control markers, exchange the opponents control markers, reserve control markers and/or build Temples, scoring every time a Score Card is played by any player. The player who has amassed the greatest amount of control over the Yucatan Peninsula in each of the scoring rounds is the winner.
Designers
Publishers
- Z-Man Games
Questions and answers
Palenque supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Palenque is 60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Palenque for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Palenque has a complexity rating of 2.2 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Palenque belongs to these categories: Territory Building, Abstract Strategy, and Ancient. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Area Majority / Influence, and Grid Movement. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Palenque are: Alan D. Ernstein. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Palenque as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.